Ashbury’s Grease brims with charisma, exuberance
Show #7: Grease Where: Ashbury College Director: Kailey Maynard and Jenna Froggett Welcome to Rydell High: the rock ’n’ roll is louder, the bouncing poodle skirts are shorter, and the hair is greasier than ever. Boys clad in shiny leather jackets and girls adorned with the highest of ponytails relish an adolescence brimming with toe-tapping music, rebellion, and self-discovery. Throw in some “Greased Lightning” and Ashbury College’s enthusiastic rendition of Grease captured just that.
At the heart of the story are Sandy Dumbrowski, a virtuous young girl, and Danny Zuko, the arrogant leader of the T-Birds, who had a secret romantic fling this past summer. When Sandy transfers to Rydell High unexpectedly for her senior year, she is shocked to discover Danny is in attendance. However, he snubs her, wanting to protect his bad-boy reputation. Alongside the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, the teens embark on paths dealing with the complexities involving the ever-changing nature of friendships and relationships. At the same time, Sandy and Danny discover they each may need to make small changes in order to be together.
The entirety of the musical was highlighted by the consistent charisma of the ensemble cast who transformed into tough-guy greasers, preppy cheerleaders, and beauty school dropouts with ease and unwavering unison.
At the middle of the madness was Jane Amirault as Sandy, a role she completely embodied. Radiating an authentic innocence, her unmatched vocals beautifully evoked her lament over Danny in Hopelessly Devoted to You, adding an element of professionalism to her performance. Her revolutionary transition into a leather-clad seductress was equally seamless. Cayne Kitagawa as her beau Danny showcased an impressive range of emotional dimension. His facade of hyper-masculinity appeared with his gang of rough and tough T-Birds in the dynamic song Greased Lightning, but his sensitivity and affection shone when confessing his feelings for his girl.
The band of Pink Ladies was led by the unapologetically sassy Betty Rizzo (Valie Madejska). Her unyielding attitude brought forth a sarcastic impersonation of Sandra Dee that was both witty and highly entertaining. Madejska was humorously complemented by the outlandish Kenickie (Paris Molokwu), whose rhythmic dancing abilities were characterized by an infectious swagger.
Another loyal member of the T-Birds was Valeria Favret as Doody, who encapsulated an authentic sweetness in her playful guitar-strumming performance of Those Magic Changes. Moreover, Maggie McCartney as the stereotypically peppy cheerleader, Patty Simcox, entertained with her riotous attempts to compete with Sandy for Danny’s attention.
This cast was not complete without their skilful backstage crew that helped support the extremely large cast size. The creation of 366 original costume pieces expertly enhanced the quality of the production. Voluminous, twirling poodle skirts were seemingly sewn in every colour imaginable, and were even complemented by a matching scrunchie and replica saddle shoes. The silver and grey beautician’s robes in Beauty School Drop Out bore authentic silhouettes that transported the audience to an old-fashioned beauty salon setting. Complementing costumes, the hair and makeup team did a fantastic job of executing swift transitions between scenes with ease. The application of simplistic makeup highlighted the appropriate features of each character, and every intricate braid, curl, and pompadour was done to perfection, without a single hair sticking out of place.
With exuberant vocals and a skilful crew, Ashbury College’s colourful and vivacious production of Grease showed that the best time for a teen to be alive was most definitely the 1950s at Rydell High. Next review: Cairine Wilson Secondary School’s production of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon.